mvr

Thursday, January 30, 2014

Last week (Jan. 24) I recalled an
important essay I had written a few years ago in THE HINDU , on the
alien connections of Indian classical music. Now let me share with you
some of my my further reflections in the same newspaper on mixing the
colors of Indian classical music, either within the country between its
Northern and Southern systems, or externally with the colors of Western
music.

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Glossary & Annotations

North-South ' jugal-bandhis'
-- Permanently experimental joint ventures undertaken by musicians
belonging to the classical music of North India (Hindustani music) and
South India (Carnatic music), trying to highlight the common as well as
contrasting elements and features of the twin musical systems.

East-West interaction -- In
this specific context, attempts to mix colors of Indian classical music
and Western music, whether classical, jazz, or whatever -- either by
composers or by Indian and Western musicians in joint ventures .

Sitar -- One of the important stringed instruments n Hindustani music.

One-day-international cricket (ODI) --
Drastically condensed form of cricket, co-existing with Test cricket
since the 1970s. Also called called Fifty-50, because of the limit of
50 overs of six balls for each side.

Test cricket -- The classic
form of international cricket at the highest level, with conservative
standards of rules and regulations, each match lasting five days --
dress code strictly white shirts, trousers and sweaters.

Kerry Packer -- Australian
media tycoon who ushered in the televison era of
cricket, severely diluting the classical form and standards of the game,
even introducing heretic features like gaudy colored uniforms.

Twenty-20 game -- Further
diluted form of cricket in the 21st century, limiting the number of
overs to 20 for each side and lasting just 3 hours, thus encouraging
hectic swashbuckling playing styles.

RRC -- Popular initials of
the late Mr. R. Ramachandran, journalist and pioneer impresario of
Carnatic music, and founder of Hamsadhwani. See Requiem for Ramachandran (2007).

Neville Cardus (1888 - 1975) -- Legendary music critic and cricket correspondent of Manchester Guardian, famous for his imaginative vision and stylish prose.

Manchester Guardian -- Highly influential British newspaper, now called The Guardian.

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THE HINDU25 July 2008

Musicscan

Colors of sound...........................

The North-South 'jugal-bandis' within India are between two sister systems. But the East-West interaction is mainly characterized by the clash of alien elements.

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Talking
about trends and traditions in the context of music (July 11), we had
noted the interesting fact that certain new trends can co-exist
permanently with a long tradition as parallel phenomena — because
they’re neither forceful enough to influence the basic character or
direction of the tradition by being assimilated into the system, nor so
trivial as to wither away soon and just disappear. We had also noted that a striking
illustration of this aspect is provided by the joint ventures called
‘jugal-bandis’ between versatile Carnatic and Hindustani musicians
representing the respective classical music systems of the Southern and
Northern cultural traditions of India.The same thing is more or less true of the
experiments Indian musicians have been making for several decades now —
in association with like-minded foreign musicians — to mix the sounds
and colors of Indian classical music and Western orchestral music or
jazz, whether they call it ‘fusion,’ ‘neo-fusion’ or something else.So far as the Indian side is concerned,
here’s another trend which is likely to exist permanently as a parallel
and experimental phenomenon, not having any impact whatsoever on the
Carnatic and Hindustani music traditions.Impact on WestI said “...more or less true...”, because
this trend has somewhat different implications for Western music.
When such experiments manifest themselves in the shape of original
written-down compositions for western orchestras, and attain a very high
standard of excellence in the process, they can certainly be counted as
unusually colorful additions to the ever-growing corpus of Western
orchestral works, thereby enhancing the tradition.Some splendid music of this kind has been
composed by the sitar and violin maestros Ravi Shankar and L.
Subramaniam, and has been performed successfully by important Western
orchestras led by eminent conductors (including the New York
Philharmonic Orchestra and Zubin Mehta), with the composers themselves
performing as soloists. And as regards jazz, the accumulated effect of
such cross-fertilization of musical ideas in the long run may well have a
genetic influence on the tradition itself — because in jazz the scope
for variation, innovation and improvisation is really endless, and an
unlimited capacity to assimilate novel elements is inherent in the
system.Critical attentionThe many subtle shades of this on-going
trend call for a detailed discussion, which can perhaps be taken up some
other time. Meanwhile, let us just briefly note some interesting
points here. The North-South jugalbandis within India are between two
sister systems of music which have an inherent and permanent bond, with
many common elements in melodic and rhythmic terms. But the East-West
interaction between Indian classical and Western music is mainly characterized by the clash of alien elements.Only very highly accomplished Carnatic and
Hindustani musicians usually get together in such North-South joint
ventures now and then, which means that normally there’s a strong
tendency to achieve excellence. By contrast, there seems to be a
proliferation of cases where Indian musicians get together with
foreigners in the so-called ‘fusion’ business, often leading to quite
frivolous and worthless exercises. The reasons why this is so are
obvious. While it is difficult to evade critical attention and review
in India in the case of the encounters between Carnatic and Hindustani
musicians, things are rather different in the external context.Indian classical musicians even at average
levels of competence are nowadays having more and more opportunities to
visit Western countries on the invitation of the ever-growing Indian
communities there, and they find it quite easy to line up some ordinary
foreign musicians to join them in a free-for-all musical
merry-go-round. And back home in India, of course, their CV and image
get boosted by cryptic references to their ‘experience in fusion.’ Who
is to review and critically evaluate their activities abroad?Music and cricketWe need only to reflect a little to realize that there are such old traditions and new trends which exist
side by side in the contexts of all performing arts and not just music;
and that it’s equally true of many of our other traditional concerns
also, and not merely the arts. A more or less similar phenomenon in
sports which we Indians can think of instantly is the extremely popular
one-day international cricket (ODI), which has co-existed with Test
cricket for more than a quarter-century now (quite peacefully, after a
quickly resolved initial confrontation between Kerry Packer and the
cricket establishment around 1980).

Once again I say “...more or less...”,
because obviously there are some important points of difference in the
similarity. Unlike the cross-over contexts in music, the 50-overs-ODI
ceased to be experimental long ago, though it hasn't ruined the Test
tradition and has just remained a parallel trend.

Of course, the most intriguing question
today is how the Twenty-20 game is going to affect the whole scenario!
Talking about cricket and music in the same breath inevitably brings
back fresh memories of Hamsadhwani’s late founder-secretary RRC, whose
brief and colorful remarks on the concert platform often contained
interesting references to cricket. And, of course, it also makes us
think of the famous Englishman Neville Cardus, who wrote colorfully both
on cricket and music in the Manchester Guardian, even mixing them up
sometimes!

Friday, January 24, 2014

In the preceding post and another recent
one ( 22 Jan. 2014 and 7 Dec. 2013), I recalled some of my comments
dated 2010, 2009 and 1991 (published in THE HINDU) on the subtle bond which exists between artistic tradition and innovation. It so happens that the scope for fresh
commentary on the kaleidoscopic nuances of this complex topic seems to
be endless. Exactly one year ago, in this blog (6 Jan. 2013: Magyar Mixture : For Foreigners Only!), while recalling my review of a performance in New Delhi by some visiting Hungarian musicians and dancers in 1990, I had added the following postscript:Over this long period marked by
technological hurricanes and socio-cultural tornadoes, I've been
endlessly trying to find the elusive answers to many intricate questions
relating to the conflict as well as the concord (which co-exist)
between tradition and innovation, between purity and permissiveness,
between innovation and integrity. I've often been puzzled by the great
paradoxes inherent in the universal scenario of cultural progress; and
at the same time, I have also gained some very valuable artistic and psychological insights into the whole phenomenon.

But don't spoil the fun by asking me for a concise executive
summary of my ultimate findings! Let me just roll out, one by one, the
reviews and essays containing my reflections on specific aspects which needed analysis and discussion from time to time in different contexts.So then, here's another slice of the same bread!.......... .......... ..........

Glossary & annotations (In same order as in text)Carnatic/Hindustani music -- Classical music of South/North India.Ragas -- Melodic patterns which
are basically defined by tradition, but have great scope for original
visions and interpretations. Swaraprasthara -- In Carnatic
music, an imaginative sequence of improvised clusters of notes within
the limits of the standard melodic patterns. A similar impromptu sequence in Hindustani music is called Sargam.Sangeet Natak Akademi -- Prestigious Government-sponsored national institution in New Delhi, concerned with preserving and promoting music, dance and
drama on a national scale. In 1989-90, I was the Member-Secretary of a
national Committee chaired by Mr. P.N. Haksar (a distinguished
diplomat-turned-cultural-philosopher),
which reviewed the performance of SNA and certain other similar
national organizations concerned with the visual and performing arts as well as literature. Music Academy in Chennai (formerly Madras) -- One of the most prestigious and influential cultural institutions in India........... .......... ..........

THE HINDU3 Aug. 3, 2007

MusicscanAlien connections: why, who and how?

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It seems to be our natural responsibility

to provide the outside world with our own

authoritative guidance and leadership in

disseminating our classical music abroad.

*

Looking back at the steady progress and
consolidation of the classical traditions of Carnatic and Hindustani
music during the second half of the 20th century, we can observe that
certain occasional and isolated events of a similar kind have a way of
getting entrenched into irreversible trends in due course. To this category
belong the marginal efforts to associate the twin classical music
systems of India with Western music, particularly instrumental jazz.

Recent articles in this column had focused attention on both the positive and negative aspects of this
trend, with particular reference to Carnatic music. Before
we conclude the discussion, it is necessary to answer a crucial
question which arises. Apart from their inclination to widen their
horizons and diversify their own
experience of music, do Indian classical musicians have any other moral
justification for developing such alien connections which carry the risk
of diluting our traditional values? To find the elusive answer to this question, let us consider the following significant facts.Initiative and influenceThe colourful Indian ragas and our
sophisticated percussion techniques are far too formidable to be ignored
by enterprising foreign musicians for ever — and sooner
or later they were bound to be discovered and used in Western music
circles, if only marginally. By the judicious infusion of Indian
melodies and rhythms, both symphonic music and jazz can be enriched with novel and entirely permissible colors.The reverse process can also be envisaged
in the case of jazz, though perhaps not in the case of symphonic music.
The melodic improvisations in Indian classical
music have a very close affinity with the imaginative sorties which are
the essence of jazz. Authentic jazz could therefore materialize in the
most natural manner in the thick of
an extensive exercise in variations in a proper Carnatic or Hindustani
music recital — adding an unusual but permissible flavour to the swaraprasthara or its Northern equivalent without transgressing the norms of our classical traditions.But obviously such ventures, to be
successful, must be undertaken by visionary musicians of the highest
calibre belonging to both sides. The really important thing is, who does it and how. If some of our own accomplished and
versatile musicians took the initiative in doing this, the result could
be far more constructive than if the lead were taken by
foreigners in whose veins the blood of Indian music does not flow. It
seems to be our natural responsibility to provide the outside world with
our own authoritative guidance and
leadership in disseminating our classical music abroad, in whatever form
it is done. Otherwise, the basic elements of our music may
eventually begin to be exploited in alien music circles in all sorts of
indiscriminate and distorted ways, leading to the widespread dilution
of our values and the eventual decline of our musical tradition.Role of AcademiesFor quite some time from the 1960s, such
contacts were mainly between a few outstanding Indian and foreign
musicians who had extraordinary musical visions
and an irresistible inclination to widen their horizons; and some of
their bold experiments in cross-fertilising their musical ideas had
resulted in some really original and colourful music.Those were days when very few Indian
musicians had any opportunities to go abroad. But during the past 20
years or so, even the average Indian classical musicians
have been getting regular invitations to visit America and some
European countries, mainly to perform Carnatic or Hindustani music for
the benefit of the constantly expanding Indian communities there. This
greatly increases the scope for indiscriminate proliferation of such
experiments in East-West integration, because even moderately
accomplished musicians from both sides
now find it easier to get together and have a fling. Which means, of
course, that the risk and chances of achieving mediocrity rather than excellence are multiplied many times.We would certainly like our adventurous
musical ambassadors to perform in their own country now and then with
their foreign collaborators, and subject their
credentials to our critical scrutiny. That will not be easy to arrange
normally, but even compact discs or cassettes featuring of such ventures
are not readily available in India.

It may be a good idea for the Sangeet
Natak Akademi in New Delhi and the Music Academy in Chennai — and
perhaps other leading academic institutions of music
elsewhere — to acquire relevant recordings either from foreign music
markets or from the musicians themselves and build up comprehensive
reference libraries where interested
music-lovers can listen to such music and form their own impressions.
And the academies can pass their own judgment, of course, and filter such performances for recognition and appreciation if justified.

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

A few weeks ago I had shared with you an article I had written in 2009 in my column Musicscan
in the Madras edition of THE HINDU, quoting a substantial portion of
an essay I had written in 1991 in the New Delhi edition of the same
newspaper, on the innovative base of artistic tradition (7 December
2013 -- Classical Music : Never-ending Nexus Between Tradition And Innovation). I have taken fresh looks at the same
question on many occasions during the past 20 years, and here's a
relatively recent essay which highlighted some intriguing aspects of the
the whole issue:.......... .......... ..........

THE HINDU4 Oct. 2010

Musicscan

The logic of fusion

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Conservation and innovation may
appear to be mutually contradictory terms in the context of all arts;
but actually they are the twin cross-threads which constitute the fabric
of all dynamic, artistic traditions. This is particularly true of all
classical music.

*

No
matter how old and conservative a classical music tradition may be, it
must have had a beginning at some point of time in the distant past,
and that beginning would obviously have been based on some innovation or
other. Such a musical manifestation would have been static and sterile
and wouldn't have evolved into a tradition at all, if it hadn't
encountered and absorbed many far-reaching innovations in the course of
ever-changing social and cultural scenarios and norms.

Thus a classical system of music depends
as much on successive innovations in order to make dynamic progress, as
it depends on conservation in order to survive as a stable tradition.
Obviously, the system can remain authentic and retain its integrity only
if there's a proper balance between conservation and innovation. Such a
delicate equilibrium is all the more significant if the tradition has a
compelling and indispensable spiritual orientation, because any undue
liberties taken with the sacred element in the name of innovation would
tend to undermine the very fabric of the music - which is true of
Carnatic music. Virgin vistas The necessity to introduce legitimate
innovations, which do not dispense with the basic elements and
principles of a musical tradition, arises mainly from two important
factors. One of them is the increasing sense of monotony created by
endlessly recurring features, and the constant need to find more
exciting methods of performance. The other factor is the progressive and
dramatic transformation of the social and cultural environment caused
by successive technological revolutions - reflected in the lifestyles
and attitudes of the musicians and music-lovers - which creates an urge
to trim some conventional modes of performance and introduce some new
perspectives. One of the attractive innovations
attempted in musical traditions all over the world, has been to
introduce some colors from other musical systems, whether these happen
to be close or remote to one's own system. And such enterprise evolves
into a kind of import/export business when like-minded musicians
belonging to different systems of music get together and try to discover
a common idiom and explore some virgin musical vistas. Right or wrong,
in the case of joint ventures associating Indian classical music
(whether Hindustani or Carnatic) and Western music (whether classical,
jazz, pop, folk, Latin American or whatever), such activity has come to
be categorised as ‘fusion'.

In this short essay I have only explained
the logic of ‘fusion.' Obviously, such experiments in innovation can
result in fascinating and permissible performances only if the musicians
who undertake them are not only well accomplished, but actually
function at the highest level of imagination, excellence and integrity.
In the case of Carnatic music, it is vitally important that the
spiritual quality of the music is never sacrificed or even diluted -- so
what exactly is permissible, and what isn't? In other words, what
exactly are the limits of ‘fusion'?

Sunday, January 12, 2014

Just a few weeks ago India had successfully sent an internationally well-equipped space vehicle on its way to a Mars orbit which is expected to be achieved in a few months' time. And now comes the news that its long-term endeavour to develop a powerful entirely-made-in-India cryogenic spacecraft engine has also succeeded at last after overcoming several serious setbacks.

One of India’s most ambitious dreams became a reality on Sunday when its Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-D5), powered by an indigenous cryogenic engine, effortlessly put the 1,982-kg GSAT-14 communication satellite into a perfect orbit after 17 minutes of flight.

The cryogenic engine built by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) fired for 12 of those 17 minutes.

The precision of the cryogenic upper stage was such that it put the GSAT-14 into an orbit with a perigee of 179 km, against the target of 180 km, and the apogee achieved was off by a mere 50 km for a target of 36,000 km.

The grand success caps 20 years of hard work by ISRO’s engineers, after being denied cryogenic technology under pressure from the U.S., suffering a heartbreaking failure with an indigenous cryogenic engine flight in April 2010 and having had to scrub its second attempt with an indigenous cryogenic engine in August 2013. . . .

The mission’s success means India now has the ability to put satellites weighing more than two tonnes in orbit, joining the elite club of the U.S., Russia, France, Japan and China who have mastered this perilous technology of using cryogenic propellants -- liquid oxygen at minus 183 degrees Celsius and liquid hydrogen at minus 253 degrees’ Celsius.

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THE HINDU
7 Jan. 2014Editorial

Resilience pays off

The Indian Space Research Organisation is adding feather after feather to its cap. Just recently, it sent off the country’s first effort at planetary exploration, the Mars Orbiter Mission. On Sunday, the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV), equipped with an indigenous cryogenic engine, put the GSAT-14 communication satellite into orbit with effortless ease.

It was an unequivocal demonstration of the space agency’s mastery of cryogenic technology, a key element in building more powerful launch vehicles. While its older sibling, the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), can accommodate communication satellites weighing about 1,200 kg, the GSLV will be able to carry spacecraft that are heavier by around 1,000 kg. . . .

About M.V.Ramakrishnan

M.V. Ramakrishnan is a former Indian civil servant, auditor and diplomat, as well as an amateur journalist. He has written a variety of columns for more than 50 years in some of India's major English newspapers, particularly THE HINDU. His essays and reviews cover a wide territory of diverse topics, ranging from music and culture to policy and government, and they have a refreshingly unique flavour and tone.

MVR's writings had a global and unconventional perspective for a very long time, swimming against the conservative currents of middle-class Indian society. But of late, with the ever-growing modernization and globalization of Indian society and culture, his rebellious spirit paradoxically tends to make his outlook less and less global, and more and more conservative. He now lives in a miraculously pastoral urban setting in South India, and is content to look at the wide world through the telescope of his own past impressions.